Metal railway sleeper amd tie



(No Model v J. RICHARDSON. METAL RAILWAY SLEEPER Al ID TIB- 197.Patented June 17; 1890.

INVENTOR Q a J K 0 W a III-IN M. v. I .u FM

WITNESSES:

.4 TORNEY I NITED TTES ATENT r-pFlCE .JAMES RICHARDSON, or TARRYTOWN,NEW YORK.

METAL RAlL.WAY "sLssPssAN io Tie.

' A lies as June 7,1889.

To all whom-it may. concern: Be it known that I, JAMES RICHARDSON, ofTarrytown, county of Westchester, andState of New York, have inventedcertain new and useful Improvements in Railways, of which the followingis a full, clear, and exact description,reference being had to theaccompanying drawings, and to the letters of reference marked thereon.

Theobject of this invention is to provide, an improved railway; and theinvention consists of metal sleepers of novel design and constructionsecured to and supporting the rails throughout their entire length andheld parallel to each other by adjustable cross ties and bars.

Reference is to be had to the accompanying I "drawings, forming part ofthis specification,

in which similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts inall the figures.

Figure 1 is a plan of my improved railway with parts broken away toexhibit otherparts.

Fig. 2 represents a side elevation of portions of the railway, showingthe manner in which thesleepersmaybeheld by thecross-ties. Figs.

'3, 4, and 5 represent several forms of cross ties and keys or wedgesused with the sleeper shown in Fig. 5. Figs. 6 and 8 show an edge and afront elevation of diaphragms adapted for use in a sleeper. Fig. 7 is asectional end elevation oft-he railway. Figs. 9,-10, and 11 representcross-sections of various forms of my improyed sleeper and fasteningdevices.

In the drawings, A represents my improved metal sleeper, which ispreferably made of two plates of iron or steel flanged and set to'gether so as to form a tube of elliptical crosssection with flanges attop and bottom, as

shown in Figs. 1 and 7.-

In the construction of the sleeper the lower or anchoring flanges of theplates (1 a are closely brought together and held by tie-rods or bybolts or rivets, (not shown,) while the upper or rail-gripping flangesare kept apart,

forming in the superior face of the sleeper a continuous slot of a widthsufiicient to receive the web of the rail B, designed for use with asleeper of this form. This footless rail is secured in position betweenthe upper,

or rail-gripping flanges. of the sleeper-plates partly by the form ofthe under part of the Serial No. 313,435. (N'o'modeh) ers and railsadjustably parallel I employ.

cross-ties C and D of. suitable form, as indicated in the drawings. Thetie-bars 0 (shown in Figs. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7) have their endsinserted through suitable openings made in the sleepers under the railsor through the sleeper-flanges and the webof the rails, and then thesaid bars are secured in place by keys or Wedges d or other suitabledevices,

whichserve also to increase the grip of rail-web by the engaging-flangesof-the sleepers. The loops, hooks, or mortises f, with which the ends ofthe bars 0 are provided for the engagement of the locking keys orwedges, are designed to be of such capacity that ties of standard lengthmay be suitable for use in all parts of the road,whether straight orcurved To further secure the sleepers and rails in position to. stiffenthe track and to enable the sleepers to be canted, so as to adjust theposition of the sleepers and rails to oppose most advantageously thelateral thrust of trains on curves, the tic-rods D have their endspassed through the lower or anchoring flanges of the between theparallel sleepers may be varied by shifting the nuts or wedges to varythe width of the track, to cant the sleepers, and to bring the head ofthe rail parallel to the coned tread of the wheel, so that the wear ofboth rail and wheel shall be reducedto a mininium. v l

The sleeper A may be hollow throughout, adequate strength for theservice required being secured by the form of the -plates and thethickness or"- the metal or sleepers of thinner metal maybe strengthenedby the insertion of diaphra'gins E, 'of suitable material, as shown inFigs. 1 and 6; or the sleeper maybe either case the lengths of the tierods or bars filled with nonorete, or other material,

sleeper.

v I flanges by tie-rods passing through the flanges I filled.

' the lips h of the two members of the sleeper.

material with which the sleeper is filled and V Other forms ofi sleepersand ties may be metal, tubular, with top and bottom flanges,

tifpping of the track under the radial thrust o as shown at E, Fig. 7,to increase its weightand stability and to enable itto better withstandthe crushingforce of heavy trains. The diaphragms may be adapted inmaterial and by suitable perforations, as shown in Fig. 8, forsupportingtelegraph-wires or other electric conduetors'for which the sleeper mayserve as aconduit; or such electric conductare may be Supported andinsulated by the strengthened.

In Fig. 9 curved .keys G, with a tie-bar of the kind shown in Fig. 5,are applied to a sleeper, the outer key being locked in place by a wedged, driven between the key and the In Fig. 10 'isindicated asleeper witha rail of the usual form held in place between its and the rail-web andlocked by nuts. In this case the rail-foot may rest on diaphragms or onthe material with which the sleeper is Another mode of adjusting mysleeper to the use of rails of the usual form is shown in Fig. 11, therail-foot being gripped between Inthis case, also, the rail may, bepartly supported by'diaphragms or by the concrete orother filling of thesleeper. v

devised without departing from my invention; but in all cases thesleeper must-be of and held adjustably parallel by upper and lower ties.

' In constructing a railway with the sleepers and ties here describedthe sleepers are sunkin the road-bed to the level of the upper ties,so'that any lateral shifting of the track on curves is made impossiblewithout. a move menfio'fthe entire roadway. Any turning or trainsoncurves is equally prevented by the form of the sleeper, by the holdwhich the anchoring-flanges have on the road-bed, and

by the resistance ofiered by the bottom ties? Tipping or spreading oftherails is made impossible by the manner in which the rails arecontinuously gripped and supported by the upper'flanges of the sleepersand held by the upper ties. diminished by the same continuous support ofthe rails and by the rigidity of the-railjoints-constructive featureswhich materially favor the durability of rails and rollingstock, thesmoothness of transit, and the comfort of travelers.

This form of track, being made of easilyrolled plates and bars easilyput together, is

comparatively cheap, is durable, is readily adjusted to varyingconditions of use, and is economical with respect to maintenance andrepair. It is particularly well suited for use on bridges, since thesleepers, made cellular by diaphragms, are in effect strong metal beams,which, joined top and bottom by the ties into one rigid systemre-enforced by the rails, may become an integral part of long bridges orthe .whole of culvert-bridges, in-

stead of being,, as is the case with tracks sup- N ported bycross-ties,a dead load upon the bridge structure.

Having thus described my invention, I claim as new and desire to secureby Letters Patent-- v The risk of broken rails is greatly 1. A tubularmetal railway-sleeper adapted to engage and support rails lengthwise,pro-

